Topic Wiki

List of TR's:
Denverite
saw50st8
dvol
dvol Pictures
zow
CGR, CGR #2
itreu001
TripsPls
davidrotts63
yuneeq Contadora (Pearl Islands)
Something Fishy (Cuba)
Something Fishy (Honduras)
Ponash123
PBaruch
Moishes 2/5/24 Panama Extended Weekend
Yonahs Trip
APS
sam1297



Kosher Food/ Restaurants:
Places to Eat:
Aria
Aroma Café
Darna Dairy/Bakery
Kava
Jeffrey’s Bakery
Pita Pan
Pita Plus
Lula by Darna
Metsuyan
Hilel Sports Bar and Grill- Closed
Darna
La Spezia
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (including 2 at PTY)
Dr. Sandwich
Prime Grill
Forever yogurt in casco viejo- Chalav Yisroel ice cream - Closed down
NEW - Jerusalem Israeli Cuisine by Chabad in Casco Viejo

Supermarkets:
Check out all items on their websites, huge variety including lots of what you're used to at home
Superkosher https://www.skosher.com/
Supermacardo Deli K https://www.delimarket.net/


Cholov Yisroel:
If you go onto Kosher Panama Website you can search for Cholov Yisroel by entering Jalav Israel in the search, just be aware if the site lists Jalav Israel and Lacteo in the description, the establishment may have both CY and non-CY so be aware and double check with the staff.
SuperKosher also had a nice selection of CY breakfast/snack/frozen items available.

There is a local chalav yisroel that isn't up to everyone's standards. It isn't up to Chabad as they use a lower kasherimg temperature than the alter rebbe holds.
This is what local chabad down there told me. Don't hold me to any of it please.


Synagogue:

The Jewish community in Panama is mainly in Panama City in the Punta Paitilla area.
You must bring your passport with you to enter the shuls. You can bring your passport over during the week if you are not staying in the eruv. They will make a copy of your passport.

Sinagoga Beth El – Orthodox, Ashkenazi. After Shabbat morning services, they have a full sit down Kiddush lunch.
They also serve breakfast after weekday shacharit.
Contact Asistente al Rabino secretaria@centrobethel.com - Déborah Wizel

Shevet Ahim – Sephardic. proper attire required, denied entry for shorts.

Ahavat Sion –

Chabad -  bracha Karniel goldberg  brachagold@gmail.com

Things to Do:
Panama Canal
Amador Causeway
Old City
$30 cabbie for all day
Panama John on FT cab and tour guide
San Blas islands
En Valle Market
Casco Viejo
Barefoot Panama tour company
Boquete
Biosphere
Miraflores Locks
Ancon Hill (tallest point in the City)
Anton Valley (hiking, waterfalls, horseback riding)
Panama Viejo
MultiPlaza (high-end mall)
Parque Natural Metropolitano
Partial canal transit
Monkey Island boat tour
Rainforest Gondola tour
Contadora (Pearl Islands) - whale watching, snorkeling/scuba on Chipera, Mogu Mogu, https://pearlislandsdaytours.com/
Rainbow bass fishing
Ziplining
Rent bikes along the water
Rainforest
Beach- Santa Clara and punta palmar both 1.5+ hours from Panama City
Indigenous tribes
Coffee plantations in the mountains
Whale watching
City tour (includes animals)
Chargres River Tour, hike to waterfall, visit Embrera Indian Village
Hiking Portabello road
Natural Metropolitan Park
www.therealpanamatours.com
Almiza Tours/ My friend mario http://www.bscpma.com/mfm/aboutus.htm (Website not working!)
Colon
Bocas del Toro
Old city/Casco viejo

Hotels:
Eshel Suites: https://eshel-suites-panama.panama-city-hotels.com/en/
others


Getting Around:
Uber is the best way to get around, cheap and reliable (if you go to the rainforest, there might not be any cars available going back, search before)

Notes:


Please Update the Wiki
« Last edited by Alexsei on December 07, 2024, 11:33:22 PM »

Author Topic: Panama Master Thread  (Read 374007 times)

Offline shayaj

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1260 on: July 13, 2023, 10:32:41 PM »
Anyone here used "Panama Wild Adventures"?
Normal is a setting on a washing machine.

Offline mlight

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1261 on: July 15, 2023, 10:15:32 PM »
Should a family of 6 (2 adults 4 kids) be fine using uber or better to rent a car?

Offline seth12345

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1262 on: July 20, 2023, 09:26:31 AM »
It seems that the most popular hotel in panama is the jw Marriott. However looking at pictures, the rooms seem very plain, and not really luxurious at all. Can anyone share what they're stay was like at the jw? Also, the Waldorf Astoria looks really nice but doesn't seem to be a popular choice here. Does anyone know why?

Offline mlight

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1263 on: July 20, 2023, 05:41:37 PM »
It seems that the most popular hotel in panama is the jw Marriott. However looking at pictures, the rooms seem very plain, and not really luxurious at all. Can anyone share what they're stay was like at the jw? Also, the Waldorf Astoria looks really nice but doesn't seem to be a popular choice here. Does anyone know why?
Location and location maybe

Offline ejb123

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1264 on: July 20, 2023, 06:13:41 PM »
Should a family of 6 (2 adults 4 kids) be fine using uber or better to rent a car?

If staying local to Panama City - two ubers is the best solution.

Offline Aviw

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1265 on: July 20, 2023, 07:36:17 PM »
I stayed in the jw and really enjoyed the hotel. Location is great. WA is not in a good location nether is it ocean view

Offline seth12345

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1266 on: July 20, 2023, 11:06:59 PM »
I stayed in the jw and really enjoyed the hotel. Location is great. WA is not in a good location nether is it ocean view
How was the actual hotel though? Like did it feel like a luxury hotel?

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1267 on: August 01, 2023, 11:42:55 AM »
What's the latest daily minyan shachris in pty city

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1268 on: August 01, 2023, 11:57:07 AM »
I never expounded on this-
For my last day, we decided to visit a nearby island, Contadora, it looked like it would be really nice place to visit.


We land in Contadora without any real plans. And apparently there's no easy to find bathrooms due to lack of water on the island. Anyways there's these black guys that hang out on the beach with motorboats to rent.
For $35/hour the motor boat also came with the entertaining guide (who didn't speak much English).

He took us to around whale watching for about an hour which was spectacular.
Getting real up-close views of a few humpback whales while in a tiny boat was exhilarating.

Afterwards we went to the beautiful deserted island of Chipera where we went snorkeling. You can also rent scuba equipment on Contadora. There's not much reef where I was but there were some beautiful tropical fish hanging out. Later, we hung out on the pristine beaches and crystal clear water, while the guide served us freshly picked coconuts.

Then, we headed out to Mogu Mogu where Season 7 of Survivor was shot. Mogu Mogu was also quite unique, more crystal clear water and beautiful shells and rocks that were worth taking home.

We then boated around some more taking in the scenic views of the various islands from the boat, while also passing some famous houses like the Shah of Iran and Christian Dior (IINM).


If visiting the Pearl Islands is there any reason not to hire a boat like this over taking Ilene from pearlislandsdaytours ?

Offline rollosolo

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1269 on: August 31, 2023, 11:45:00 AM »
My family and I recently returned from a visit to Panama. We had a wonderful time and it was all due to Alon Levi, (oakfrst@gmail.com; https://en.panamawithalon.com) who arranged our trip from beginning to end. Everything worked so smoothly, it was such a pleasure. We were eight of us in total, of all ages. Alon arranged the entire trip to appeal to all ages and took care of all the logistics, from pick up to and from the airport, to all the trips in between. In total, he arranged for six tours over the four days, with outstanding drivers and guides. He also arranged for two of us to travel to Boquete, to climb Vulcan Baru and to tour a coffee plantation, in addition to putting us in touch with Chabad in Boquete, who incidentally were incredibly great hosts for shabbat and prepared very tasty food!

Not only did Alon arrange everything, he also anticipated problems and remedied them before they happened, and constantly answered texts at all hours while we were in Panama, and he in Jerusalem, to answer any questions we had about traveling around Panama, about minyanim, and about kosher restaurants. Alon also constantly tweaked the itinerary and times of pick up and drop off from the hotel to customize it to our evolving needs, which kept shifting and which Alon patiently accommodated throughout the trip. 
All eight of us were extremely pleased and we recommend Alon highly for all your travel needs, in Panama, especially Jewish travel needs. I will add, I’m confident Alon can also arrange out-of-the-box trips, not necessarily listed on his Website, like the one we took to Boquete. Bottom line, we give Alon eight thumbs up!!

Offline AJK

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1270 on: October 09, 2023, 08:30:05 PM »
Thoughts on this potential itin (with a three-month old):

Monday Night
Dinner = Blame Kiki

Tuesday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Miraflores Locks
Lunch: Lula
Activities: Amador Causeway (family bikes, ice cream, Smithsonian research center) and Old city (casco Viejo)
Dinner: Aria

Wednesday
Breakfast: Jeffrey's
Activities: Contadora Island
Dinner: Kava

Thursday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Massages in the AM
Lunch: Yoss Burger
Activities: Ancon Hill

(As planned, skipping Monkey Island because 1) we've been to monkey forest in Bali, and 2) will have three-month old with us (and not older kids.)
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Lou Bob

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1271 on: October 09, 2023, 08:43:44 PM »
Thoughts on this potential itin (with a three-month old):

Monday Night
Dinner = Blame Kiki

Tuesday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Miraflores Locks
Lunch: Lula
Activities: Amador Causeway (family bikes, ice cream, Smithsonian research center) and Old city (casco Viejo)
Dinner: Aria

Wednesday
Breakfast: Jeffrey's
Activities: Contadora Island
Dinner: Kava

Thursday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Massages in the AM
Lunch: Yoss Burger
Activities: Ancon Hill

(As planned, skipping Monkey Island because 1) we've been to monkey forest in Bali, and 2) will have three-month old with us (and not older kids.)

(Un)popular opinion: Skip the Miraflores Locks. Do Monkey Island or the rainforest instead.
Always use an Amex, you'll thank me one day.

Offline Agoldsc1

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1272 on: December 06, 2023, 03:54:27 PM »
Does anyone have a good itinerary for a young family for a week? Any any recommendation for local tour guides who won't charge American prices?

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1273 on: December 11, 2023, 11:28:17 AM »
Thoughts on this potential itin (with a three-month old):

Monday Night
Dinner = Blame Kiki

Tuesday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Miraflores Locks
Lunch: Lula
Activities: Amador Causeway (family bikes, ice cream, Smithsonian research center) and Old city (casco Viejo)
Dinner: Aria

Wednesday
Breakfast: Jeffrey's
Activities: Contadora Island
Dinner: Kava

Thursday
Breakfast: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Activities: Massages in the AM
Lunch: Yoss Burger
Activities: Ancon Hill

(As planned, skipping Monkey Island because 1) we've been to monkey forest in Bali, and 2) will have three-month old with us (and not older kids.)

Find out when Jeffery's opens in the morning, if you're going by boat to Contadora it leaves very early in the morning

Offline tzifanya54

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1274 on: December 11, 2023, 12:08:33 PM »
Find out when Jeffery's opens in the morning, if you're going by boat to Contadora it leaves very early in the morning
You are correct. Won't be able to do both, same morning.

Offline Kobe Bryant

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1275 on: December 11, 2023, 12:39:02 PM »
It seems that the most popular hotel in panama is the jw Marriott. However looking at pictures, the rooms seem very plain, and not really luxurious at all. Can anyone share what they're stay was like at the jw? Also, the Waldorf Astoria looks really nice but doesn't seem to be a popular choice here. Does anyone know why?
IME it was luxurious. possibly depends on the room.

Offline Ploni3

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1276 on: December 11, 2023, 01:18:46 PM »
Waldorf has its water view blocked by other buildings.  If you want to be in a Hilton hotel go with the Hilton.

Offline PBaruch

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1277 on: December 11, 2023, 01:34:55 PM »
We stayed at the Residence Inn and would happily go back.  The hotel was brand new when we stayed there - rooms were very nice and you get a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator.  The kosher supermarket is now located on the ground floor and Jeffrey's is a block away.  Chabad is around the corner.  My advice is to skip the "luxury" and stay at the Residence. 
What do you do after your dreams come true?

Offline myb821

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1278 on: December 11, 2023, 09:39:54 PM »
We stayed at the Residence Inn and would happily go back.  The hotel was brand new when we stayed there - rooms were very nice and you get a full kitchen with a full size refrigerator.  The kosher supermarket is now located on the ground floor and Jeffrey's is a block away.  Chabad is around the corner.  My advice is to skip the "luxury" and stay at the Residence.
Agree with this. Residence inn was great.

Offline Ysturmwind

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Re: Panama Master Thread
« Reply #1279 on: December 12, 2023, 11:31:37 PM »
We are heading to Panama for Yeshiva week and I had a couple of quetions.

Looking for recommendations for shabbas meals. I saw Beth El and Chabad do meals on Gokosherpanama. Any experiences with them?

Is the hike at Ancon Hill too hard for young kids to do (3 and 6 year old)?
« Last Edit: December 12, 2023, 11:54:49 PM by Ysturmwind »